


The Best Damn Dress I Own

by HaijaJayne



Category: Sally Face (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe, College, Drag Queens, Eventual Smut, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-03-19 12:29:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 19,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18969322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HaijaJayne/pseuds/HaijaJayne
Summary: Larry is a college dropout who finds himself back home in Nockfell. Unsure of what he is gonna do and afraid of ending up in some shitty minimum wage job, alone, he is wandering through life at the current moment.His friends end up dragging him to the local punk bar to meet their newest friend they made while he was gone. That person also happens to be the most popular drag queen in town.





	1. I'm Just A Girl

**Author's Note:**

> Alright first of all I wanna credit http://newwavebrat.tumblr.com for the idea. I saw their text post about drag baby Sal and I was inspired, even if it did take a hot minute to actually write it.
> 
> Second, thanks to http://flowerboy-logan.tumblr.com and http://melodicwhisper8079.tumblr.com for taking a look at my first chapter. It really gave me the boost to go ahead and post this. I'm like really nervous about starting a multichapter story 
> 
> And finally real quick because I feel like it must be said. I will be referring to Sal as a she when he is drag because that is just kinda what you do. I KNOW Sal is a guy and in this story he is a cisgendered male so please don't come for me I am just doing what is common in the drag queen world. Thank you.
> 
> Title from the MCR song Give 'Em Hell cause I'm an emo kid

"How did I get roped into coming here again?" Larry asked over the loud music playing at the bar. Ashley laughed and handed him another cup filled with dark liquid. Larry took a sip through the tiny red straw and grimaced at the rum and coke that hit his tongue.

"Because I promised to buy all your drinks and you love me." Ashley responded, taking a sip of her own fruity drink. "Besides you need to meet our new friend!" They were currently standing in a bar called The Oddity, the decor of which was clearly punk rock inspired. Red lights that normally were casting over the dim room were shifting to bright spot lights as the crowd had moved around a small stage sitting the back part of the room. Larry glanced over to his other friends, Todd and Neil, who were bobbing their heads lightly to The Clash song that was playing over the speaker. Neil tightened his arm around Todd's waist as he whispered something into the redhead's ear, causing him to laugh into his beer. Larry looked back over to Ashley, watching the other brunette take another long sip of her drink as she looked over at the emcee next to the stage. He felt out of place here. Not that he wasn't into the punk and grunge scene, he just didn't like being at bars as much as the others. He would rather be at home, painting or reading or smoking.

"Okay but a drag show?" He asked before drank from his cup again, this time forgoing the little straw. If he was gonna be at a bar on a Friday night, he might as well make the most of it and be drunk. Todd laughed next to him.

"What are you? Homophobic?" Todd quipped, earning a hearty laugh from Neil. Larry rolled his eyes and elbowed the redhead in response.

"I don't think I can be homophobic if I fuck guys."

"You'd be surprised." Neil countered. Larry shook his head.

"You know what I mean. This isn't really… My scene." He said as he motioned around the room at the group of people who were waiting for the show to begin. Ash nudged him with her shoulder, smiling around the straw of her drink.

"Oh I'm soooooo sorry this isn't some college arthouse joint you must be so used to by now." She joked, laughing loudly at the exacerbated look that crossed Larry's face.

"Shut up! I go away to art school for two years and y'all act like I came back with some elitist art student stick up my ass!" He cried out, causing some of the other patrons to turn from the stage to stare at him. Ashley laughed even louder, doubling over and almost spilling her drink. She wiped at tears starting to form in her eyes as her giggles slowly started to subside.

"I'm just fucking with you, Lar." She said as she put a hand on his shoulder. "We just wanted to show you what we have been doing since you've been gone and more importantly we want you to meet our friend S-" Her words are cut off by the emcee's voice booming over the speakers.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen! Are you ready for tonight's drag show!?" A wave of excited yelling rippled through the pretty tiny crowd as he spoke. Larry turned his head to the source of the voice and found a blonde man sitting in a wheelchair chair in the corner, a microphone in one hand as he scrolled through a computer sitting on a soundboard with the other. "As some of you may know, I am the emcee for tonight, CJ." Another, smaller wave of screams followed, causing the man to pull the microphone from his face and grin at the crowd. "And we have three lovely performers this evening. So without further ado, let's welcome our first beautiful lady to the stage!" Everyone cheered and clapped as CJ said her name and the first drag queen stepped out from the curtain as a pretty familiar pop song started to play loudly over the speakers. Larry leaned close to Ashley.

"Is that them?" He asked as he watched the heavily makeuped performer begin to dance to the beat, mouthing along to the words as they went. Ashley chuckled and shook her head.

"No. I'll tell you when he is up." She shouted back over the music. Larry let out a quiet 'oh' and went back to watching the show.

The first two drag queens were good, or at least he thought they were. Larry didn't really have much to go by. He really didn't do this kind of thing often. Not even in college, even though he had heard of classmates going to the local gay bar in the city to see shows like this. He hadn't had many friends in college to go with even if he had wanted to join in. He had been more interested in staying in his dorm and sleeping, taking advantage of any extra sleep he could get. So if he had to give an opinion, he definitely had been entertained the whole time. Though the liquor he had been sipping on had definitely helped, just a little.

Ashley elbowed him hard as the emcee began to speak again. "It's him!" She shouted loudly, a little tipsy herself.

"And now for the final gorgeous lady to grace our fine stage here at The Oddity, and a personal favorite of mine. Everyone show some love and welcome to the stage Sally Face!" Everyone cheered loudly at that, louder than they had for the other two drag queens, causing Larry to grimace just a bit at the sudden loudness of the crowd.

"Sally Face?" He questioned, looking over at Ashley, who was paying him no mind. What kind of drag queen name was that? He thought as he turned his attention back towards the tiny stage to see a short figure make their way to the center, the low lights making it hard to fully see what they looked like. Over the speakers, a familiar bass line began to play and it only took a few seconds for Larry to recognize the opening beat to No Doubt's Just A Girl. The spotlight slowly came back up to reveal Sally Face in all her glory.

She had a blonde wig styled in classic pinup waves on, butterfly clips pulling one side away from her face. Or actually a mask covering her face which was painted to look like it was covered in blush, baby blue eyeshadow and bright red lipstick. False lashes had been glued around the eye holes, drawing attention to bright blue eyes. Thin eyebrows painted on with a very iconic red gem set between them. She was dressed in a very classic early nineties style. White tight tank top, cropped right under the belly button, with a red, slightly padded bra peeking underneath. Baggy cargo pants hanging low enough that Larry could see the faintest hit of a blue line of hair coming up from underneath the waist line. Chunky platform sneakers finished off the whole look.

She was very short. Like almost shockingly short. And so slender if Larry hadn't known any better he might actually think she was a biological _she._ But the shoulders were just broad enough, hips slender enough to not look feminine, and she was clearly opting not to pad or stuff anywhere else but the bra under her shirt. He turned his attention back to the mask as the first lines of lyrics began to play. How was she supposed to lip sync if you couldn't actually see her mouth?

 _Take this pink ribbon off my eyes_  
_I'm exposed_  
_And it's no big surprise_  
_Don't you think I know_  
_Exactly where I stand  
_This world is forcing me  
_To hold your hand___

The answer was, apparently through her hands and movements, as she moved across the stage, hand flowing with the bass as her head bobbed along with the rhythm of the lyrics. Even though he couldn't he couldn't see her mouth, he could tell she was singing along, bouncing along with the words as her hips moved with the music.

 _'Cause I'm just a girl, little ol' me_  
_Well don't let me out of your sight_  
 _Oh, I'm just a girl, all pretty and petite_  
 _So don't let me have any rights_  
 _Oh, I've had it up to here!_

Sally Face slipped down to her knees as the beat picked up, causing the people in the club start to whistle and clap. Larry couldn't keep his eyes off her as she crawled around the stage. The beat slowed again as the second verse started and Sally moved to sit cross legged on the edge of the stage, looking up at the people in the front row.

 _The moment that I step outside_  
_So many reasons_  
 _For me to run and hide_  
 _I can't do the little things_  
 _I hold so dear_  
 _'Cause it's all those little things_  
 _That I fear_

Her hands moved up to the people in front of her as she playfully tugged on belt loops of patrons, causing another round of wolf whistles. People began to hand over dollar bills which she promptly shoved into her bra with a wink as the second chorus picked up and she rose back to her feet to start walking through the crowd.

_'Cause I'm just a girl_   
_I'd rather not be_   
_'Cause they won't let me drive_   
_Late at night_   
_Oh I'm just a girl_   
_Guess I'm some kind of freak_

Sally made her way over to Ashley, who was loudly singing along to the track playing. Ash pulled a twenty dollar from her pocket and held it over Sally's head, keeping it just a few inches from her grasp and in turn Sally mimed pouting and stomping her feet. Ashley laughed and brought the twenty back down to eye level before carefully sliding it down the front of Sally's tank top, into the front clasp of the red bra. Sally let out a laugh and a low "Bitch." just barely heard over the music before pressed the painted lips of the mask to her cheek, reaching back to give her ass a squeeze. Ashley erupted into loud laughter as she pushed Sally's hand away from her backend.

 _Cause they all sit and stare_  
_With their eyes_  
 _Oh I'm just a girl_  
 _Take a good look at me_  
 _Just your typical prototype_  
 _Oh, I've had it up to here!_  
 _Oh, am I making myself clear?_

Sally turned her attention to Larry, who visibly gulped in fear of the drag queen eyeing him up. He didn't know what he would do if she decided to be just as handsy as she had been with Ash and his face started to burn at the thought. Sally moved closer and looked up at the taller brunet. Even with the platform sneakers, Sally was a solid 6 inches shorter than Larry and up close it was even more obvious. Larry shouldn't have felt so intimidated by someone so much shorter than him but he couldn't stop his hand shaking just a little as he held up his five.

_I'm just a girl  
I'm just a girl in the world_

Sally looked him up and down for a split second before plucking the money out of his hand, sliding it down his shirt right next to Ashley's twenty with a wink before moving onto Todd and Neil. Larry let out a breath that he didn't know he had been holding in.

 _That's all that you'll let me be!_  
_Oh I'm just a girl, living in captivity_  
 _Your rule of thumb_  
 _Make me worry some_  
 _Oh I'm just a girl, what's my destiny?_  
 _What I've succumbed to_  
 _Is making me numb_  
 _Oh I'm just a girl, my apologies_  
 _What I've become is so burdensome_  
 _Oh I'm just a girl, lucky me_  
 _Twiddle-dum there's no comparison_

Sally Face made her way back to the stage as the song began to wind down to an end. Her shirt was practically overflowing with ones and fives and she had to try hard not to drop any as she climbed back up on stage.

 _Oh, I've had it up to!_  
_Oh, I've had it up to!!_  
 _Oh, I've had it up to here…_

The lights dimmed as the last notes of the song ended and the room erupted into cheers and whistles. In the dark, Sally clutched onto the money in her bra as she made her way back behind the curtain. The room soon was cast in the same red lights from the beginning of the night and CJ was thanking all drag queens who had performed that night one more time. Larry looked back over at Ashley as his eyes tried to get readjusted to the sudden light.

"So what did you think?" Ash asked with a huge grin on her face.

"That was… _really_ entertaining." Larry said after a moment, once his head stopped reeling from the show. It was entertaining. Way more entertaining than he had thought it was going to be when he first agreed to come. Todd slapped Larry on the back, causing the taller man to startle for a second.

"Come on, let's head to the back so you can meet Sal." He said as him and Neil started to head towards a door near the side of the stage. All the other people who had been watching the show were already starting to clear out, heading to the bar to get a few more drinks before closing time. Ashley grabbed his wrist and started to pull him along, following the couple towards the door.

"Are we even allowed back there?" Larry asked as he was dragged towards backstage. Ashley laughed and nodded.

"Of course, dude. The staff here knows us." She said and pulled the taller man through the doorway to reveal a small fitting room with a tiny bathroom off to the side. The other drag queens were already out of their makeup and costumes and were quietly counting their tips as they chatted back and forth. When the foursome walked in they glanced up and waved politely before going back to counting.

"Sal's in the bathroom." One of them said, though out of makeup, Larry had no clue what their name was. As if on cue the door opened and a man with bright blue hair stepped out.

"Sal!" Ashley yelled excitedly, causing the shorter man to jump and look up. His face was still covered by a mask but this time it was different. The mask looked like it was made of a much harder plastic and it was all white except for a darker pinkish patch that looked like a different material than the rest. He had changed out of the tank top and cargo pants and was now wearing a slightly oversized black sweatshirt and a pair of ripped red skinny jeans. He had traded out the platform sneakers for some blue converse and without them he was even shorter than Ashley.

"Hey guys. You enjoy the show?" Sal asked as he walked over to the group. His voice was a lot deeper than Larry had been expecting. Ashley moved to the front and pulled Sal into a quick hug.

"It was great as always, dude!" She exclaimed as she pulled back with a grin. Todd and Neil hummed in agreement. "Oh hey, this is our friend Larry!" Ash said as she grabbed Larry's wrist again and pulled him closer. Larry awkwardly stumbled forward.

"Ah the infamous Larry who was away at art school." There was a smirk in Sal's voice as he held out his hand for Larry to shake. Larry let out a nervous laugh and shook his hand before rubbing the back of his neck, a light flush forming on his face.

"I can only imagine what these idiots have said about me in my absence. I'm sure most of it is lies and slander." Larry said as a small grin spread across his face, showing off the gap in his front teeth. Sal chuckled, bringing a hand up to the fake mouth of his mask. It was more out of reflex than actually stifling the laugh and Larry couldn't help but find the movement kind of cute. "I liked your show a lot by the way. It was really good." Larry could feel the flush on his face deepen. Sal's eyes crinkled in a way that Larry hoped meant he was smiling behind his mask.

"Thanks." Sal gave him a quick wink before turning back towards Ashley. "Well let me pack up real quick and we can head to the diner. I am starving." Sal said with a clap of his hands. Larry looked at Ashley and Todd with a confused look.

"Diner?" He asked, eyebrows furrowed.

"Oh shit we forgot to mention, we all walk over to the diner down the road after each show." Neil explained as he waved at the other drag queens who had packed up and started to head out of the room. Larry had to hold back a disappointed groan. He honestly wanted to go home, but he had to admit the prospect of food definitely piqued his interest. He still a little tipsy and a plate fries sounded great right now.

"Alright I'm ready to go." Sal announced as he slipped his backpack onto his shoulders.

"Awesome let's roll out!" Ashley cheered as she started to lead the group out of the fitting room and back into the now mostly empty bar. The walk to the diner wasn't too long, being only a few blocks away from the bar. The whole walk Larry lingered in the back, watching as his friends chatted excitedly with Sal, catching up on what had happened over the last week and what they had planned for the next. It kind of made Larry feel like a fifth wheel. Like he was the stranger of the group.

Once inside the diner they took their seats at a booth, Neil, Todd and Larry squeezed into one side while Ashley and Sal slid into the other. Sal's overstuffed backpack took the space between them. The waitress came over after a moment, taking their drink and food orders, a bored look on her face as she asked if that would be all.

Once their orders were in and their drinks were on the table they went back to their mindless chatter. Larry just sat back and quietly watched how Sal interacted with the others. He noticed how Sal talked with his hands, making huge almost wild gestures as he spoke and even bobbed his head around with his words. He noticed how the he unclasped the bottom straps of his mask and carefully slid fries underneath to eat. He was energetic and passionate when he spoke but you could tell he was really listening when the other three talked. It was kind of endearing. They eventually finished their food and paid before walking back to the now closed bar.

"Well I'm gonna walk Sal home, he lives like fifteen minutes away." Ash said as she hugged Todd and Neil goodnight.

"Are you sure? How are you gonna get home?" Larry asked as he got his own hug goodnight from the woman. Ash waved him off.

"I'll just crash there for the night. Him and his dad usually give me a ride back to my house. We do this like every weekend." Ashley explained as Sal nodded in agreement.

"Okay. I'll talk to you later." Larry called to her as him Neil and Todd made their way over to Neil's car. They started to pull away and Larry watched out the window as the other two started to walking down the sidewalk. As their figures started to fade out of sight, all Larry could think about was how he just wanted to know more about Sal.


	2. ...And The Wolves Come Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Larry takes a trip to the local record store.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so glad people are enjoying this so far!
> 
> I'm already halfway done chapter 3 but work is kicking my ass this week so I have no idea when I'm gonna finish it. Check out my tumblr haijajayne.tumblr.com for any updates!
> 
> And as always feedback is always appreciated!

Larry didn't have much to do these days since leaving college and heading back home to Nockfell. He didn't have a full time job right now, even though he was really trying to find one. He mostly did commissions to help pay with rent and those were kind of sparse these days. He didn't really want stay in the house all day while Todd and Neil were at work. There were only so many infomercials one man could handle before wanting to run into traffic. So Larry just sort of started wandering around town. 

That's how he found himself standing outside the local record shop, starting up at the old, faded sign that read, because apparently the owners had no imagination, 'Nockfell Records'. He honestly hasn't been there since he was a senior in high school, scrambling to get his hands on the latest Sanity's Fall record freshly pressed into vinyl. And while the sign was spookily exactly the same as four years ago, from what he could see, as he pushed through the front door with a jingle of a bell, the inside had at least changed a bit. The carpet was new. That was something. 

Larry began to slowly make his way around the racks, eyes lazily scanning over the CDs as he made his way back to the vinyls in the back section. Not that he didn't like CDs, but he had to admit that there was something satisfying about finding a great record on vinyl. Something just made him feel warm and fuzzy about handling that big delicate disk in his hands. And when that needle drops down and there's that pause before the music started to play, oh boy did that get Larry's heart a pumping. He liked CDs but vinyl was definitely his guilty pleasure. 

He settled on the punk section, not really interested in adding any new metal albums to his collection today. He'd say he had too many already, but you can never have too many metal albums. He shuffled through the vinyls as he hummed to the song playing over the speaker, some top 40s hit that he wouldn't usually listen to on his own but he had to admit was catchy. He paused on a record and pulled it out to take a better look. 

"'...And Out Come The Wolves', huh?" A familiar voice to his left asked, scaring the shit out of Larry and causing him to almost drop the record to the floor. Larry turned quickly, looking down at Sal with wide eyes, clutching at the front of his shirt as he tried to will his heart back to a normal rate. 

"Holy fuck, dude!" Larry breathed out as Sal laughed and looked at the record in the taller man's hands. 

"It's kind of cliched, you know?" Sal continued on, pretending like he didn't just give Larry a mini heart attack. "Like when people say they like Rancid, they are usually only talking about Time Bomb." Larry blinked down at Sal for a beat before frowning. 

"Are you judging me right now?" He put a hand on his hip and turned to face Sal fully. Sal followed suit and looked up at Larry with what he could only imagine was a smirk behind his mask, arms crossed in defiance. "Because first of all, this album is fucking good. No matter how many pseudo punks try to use it to prove their 'punk prowess'. This album is still a classic piece of punk music and should be treated with respect." Larry tried to keep a serious face as he spoke but soon he broke out into how usual gap toothed grin. "Not to mention, I'd let Tim Armstrong fuck me in a dirty alley any day of the week." Sal cracked at that, arms coming uncrossed as he dissolved into a fit of snorting laughter behind his mask. "And second, what gives you the right to judge my music taste?"

Sal eventually regained his composure, his giggles slowly stopping as he straightened back up to look up at Larry. There was the smallest glint in his eyes that told Larry that his stupid joke had managed to bring some tears to Sal's eyes. Something about that made Larry's chest feel a little tight with pride. Sal let out one last giggle as he pointed to the tag hanging on the left hand side of his chest. It read 'Hi I'm:' in blocky font followed by Sal's loopy handwriting spelling out 'Sal!'. 

"Well I work here so judging people's taste in music kinda comes with the job." Larry hadn't even noticed the tag. Sal was dressed in regular clothes, some ripped skinny jeans and a old Siouxsie and The Banshees t shirt with an oversized blue flannel shirt overtop. Larry had honestly thought he had just been browsing just like him. "I'm just messing with you, anyways. That is a great album and it sounds pretty amazing on vinyl." Sal said with another laugh. "So did you need help finding anything else?" He asked, slipping into his customer service voice. Larry laughed and shook his head. 

"Ew, that is spooky. Don't use your customer service voice on me, dude. I'll just get this." He said, holding up the vinyl in his hand. Sal laughed and turned towards the register, waving for Larry to follow him. 

"Sorry, habit." He said, making his way around the counter to ring Larry up. He punched the numbers in the register before telling Larry his total and carefully placing the record in a paper bag. Larry pulled out a twenty, handing it to Sal and grabbing the bag off the counter. "Sooo. I feel like the other night, you barely talked." Sal said as he handed Larry his change. Larry felt his face flush a little as he awkwardly stuffed his change into his wallet. 

"Yeah sorry about that. I was kind of running on empty by the end of the night and I was just really excited to go home and sleep." He explained with a nervous chuckle. Sal hummed as he nodded, rounding the counter again with a pack of cigarettes in his hand. 

"Ok I can get that. Well you feel up for talking now? I'm gonna go on break and maybe you could tell me more about yourself. Maybe clear up some of those lies and slander Ash has been spreading about you." His tone was playful and Larry could imagine him grinning behind his mask. Larry smiled back and nodded. 

"Sure." He answered and followed Sal hesitantly to the back of the store. Larry was pretty sure he wasn't supposed to back there but Sal didn't seem to care. They soon came to a back door that lead to the alleyway behind the store. Sal sat down on an overturned milk crate and patted one next to him as he popped the bottom straps of his mask. Larry took his invitation and sat down, pulling out a pack of his own. He placed one between his lips and lit it, watching out of the corner of his eye as Sal turned away to light his own, back turned enough for Larry to not see any part of his face as he took a drag before turning back. He exhaled, smoke blowing out his mouth hole and nose holes of the mask as he spoke. 

"So tell me some things about yourself." Sal said, turning towards Larry, causing their knees to touch. 

"Uhhh okay but, um, only if you tell me some things about you." Larry countered and Sal nodded, tilting his head down enough to take another drag while keeping his face hidden. 

"Fair enough." He said in a puff of smoke, this time leaking up through the eye holes. Larry could help but think it looked super cool. 

"Um okay. So I'm Larry. My full name is Lawrence Johnson but only my grandmother calls me Lawrence. Or my mom when she is pissed off at me… or Ashley when she wants to piss me off. Me and Ashley have been friends since middle school and I've known Todd since high school and of course Todd and Neil are a package deal so we became friends by default. I'm home from college for… now… and I went for my bachelor's in fine arts. I live with Todd and Neil. I'm 23. Ummm I'm an only child? God it's really hard to talk about yourself." Larry rambled, face growing red as he spoke. Sal flicked ash onto the ground. 

"Hmmm Lawrence. That's cute." He commented, causing Larry's blush to deepen. "Ok I guess I'll go now. Since you were kind enough to let me know your full name, I'll let you know mine. It's Salvador Fisher. But I go by Sal. My mom used to call me Salvador… but she passed away so you can call me anything else but that." A hurt look flashed across Sal's eyes before shook guys head and a smile was reaching his eyes again. "I just moved here 6 months ago with my dad from New Jersey. I have a fat orange cat named Gizmo. I met Ashley like a week after moving here at that bookstore in town when we literally ran into each other." Larry laughed at that, shaking his head at the clumsiness of his friend. 

"Of course she did." He commented with a smirk. 

"I mean granted she did was kinda in my blind spot so it was bound to happen." Sal laughed, waving his right hand holding the cigarette near the right side of his face. It was clearly a joke at his own expense but Larry didn't understand what he meant. He didn't ask though. It wasn't his place to ask. Sal took another drag. "I'm glad I met her though because she was the one to take me to The Oddity during drag night and she was the one to convince me to start performing."

"She has a knack of knowing what you really want to do and pushing you towards it." Larry said fondly, thinking back to all the things Ashley had convinced him to go for throughout their friendship. Honestly, he never would have had the courage to apply for art school if she hasn't convinced him he was good enough. Hell, if it hadn't been for her, he never would have gotten into art in the first place. Larry was pretty sure that he had left school mainly because he didn't have her to kick his ass and make him try harder. Larry took the final puff of his cigarette and dropped it to the ground, snuffing it out with the toe of his sneakers and brushing off any fallen ashes from his black Sanity's Fall shirt. "I was wondering, by the way, what's with the mask? At first I thought it was just a part of the show but you're still wearing one." Sal visibly stiffened at his question as he crushed the butt of his own cigarette under his shoe.

"It's not a mask." He started as he reached up to reclasp the straps behind his head. "It's a prosthetic." Sal tapped lightly on the hard plastic covering his face. "I… h-had an accident." Sal's body grew tense, uncomfortable as he struggled through a story he was probably forced to tell over and over again, regardless of if he wanted to or not. "W-when I was three I-"

"You don't have to tell me if you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, dude." Larry interrupted, holding up his hands. Sal blinked up at him, clearly shocked and confused. 

"What?"

"It's none of my business. I'm not gonna make you tell me when you're clearly uncomfortable talking about it. We can talk about anything else." Larry offered with a smile. Sal nodded and cleared his throat, trying to get back to his easygoing tone he had had before. 

"Oh um yeah okay. Thanks. Uh I'm an only child as well. I live with my dad at the moment. I go part time to community college but I haven't picked a major yet. I'm 22. Hmmmm what else? I'm a Sagittarius. And my favorite color is purple." Sal continued, a smile slowly returning to his voice. "What about you? What's your sign?" He asked, causing Larry to laugh and roll his eyes. 

"You're seriously asking my sign? What are you, some cheesy pick up artist?" Larry shook his head as he chuckled. "I'm an Aries but I don't believe in any of that zodiac bullshit."

"Oh well, just so you know, we're extremely compatible. If you actually believed in that shit, that is." Sal said, his voice becoming playful with the slightest hint of flirting. Larry was sure he was just imagining the flirting part. He opened his mouth to retort with something he hoped was suave and witty but the back door opened, startling both men. A older man peered down at them, expression almost blank, but his body language was twitchy and nervous.

"Sal, you're break is up, time to come back to the front." The man spoke with a slight southern twang, definitely not from Nockfell. Larry stood from the milk crate and held out a helping hand to Sal, who took it and pulled himself up. Sal turned his head towards the man at the door. 

"Ok David, give me two seconds, I just gotta say bye to my friend." He said and David nodded and slipped back inside, leaving the door cracked as he did. "Well I guess I gotta go before I get in trouble. Enjoy your new Rancid record." Sal brushed off his jeans and step towards the door. He paused at the door and looked back st Larry. "It was nice finally talking to you." Larry felt his heart speed up and he had to will himself to not blush. 

"Uh you too. I guess I'll see you again next Friday at The Oddity."

"You're gonna see me perform again?" Sal asked, lingering in the doorway, even though he could feel David's eye boring holes in his back. Larry couldn't control his face any longer and he felt it burn red as he smiled at Sal. 

"Yeah, I had a great time last time so, why wouldn't I?" Larry rubbed at the back of his neck, feeling like a flustered teen again. It was embarrassing and he had hoped that he had grown out of acting like this while talking to cute people. But apparently that was not the case. 

"Well then I guess I'll see you there. Bye Larry." Sal waved, that flirty hint sneaking back into his voice as he slipped back inside, closing the door behind him as he did. Larry slowly came back to his senses, giving his head a quick shake before picking his record from where he had placed it next to the the milk crate and making his way down the alleyway and back to the street. His heart still felt like it was racing as he thought of how pleased Sal had sounded finding out Larry would see him again. He couldn't help how it brought a blush to his cheeks. He was suddenly looking forward to that Friday even more than he had thought possible.

Larry eventually made his way back to the townhouse he shared, noting Todd's car was in the driveway. He came in the door, the sound of the TV welcoming him as he did. He walked into the livingroom, plopping down on the couch with a sigh. Todd came out of the kitchen, holding a bowl of cereal. "Hey." Todd greeted around a mouthful and a small wave. Larry nodded back, looking away from the true crime show on the screen in front of him. Todd took a seat next to him, taking another spoonful of rice crispies. "What'd you buy?" He asked as he chewed. Larry looked at the bag next to him. 

"Oh I went to the record shop, got a Rancid vinyl." He answered, motioning towards the paper bag. "Saw your friend Sal there. We talked a little while he was on break." Todd hummed, interested. 

"Oh yeah?" Todd asked, swallowing his cereal. 

"Yeah. Um quick question. He like flirts with everyone, right?" Larry asked, sitting up straighter in his seat. Todd's eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"...Not really? Why? Was he flirting with you?" He asked, placing the bowl on the coffee table in front of them and turning to look at Larry fully. 

"I mean I think he was? I thought cause of the whole drag queen thing he was just used to flirting with random people." Larry said, scratching the back of his head anxiously. Todd rolled his eyes. 

"Just cause he is a drag queen doesn't mean he is flirting when every random person he meets." Todd answered, incredulously. Larry held up his hands in defense. 

"I didn't mean it like that! I just meant…"

"That he couldn't possibly be flirting with you, of all people?" Todd said sarcastically, causing Larry to flush at how stupid it sounded out loud. 

"I mean… yes?" He said quietly, feeling dumb suddenly. Todd rolled his eyes even harder and picked his cereal back up, taking another bite and turning towards the TV again. 

"If he was flirting, then maybe, just maybe he is interested in you." He quipped. Larry stared at the TV, feeling his heart speed up at the idea. 

"Oh." He said lamely. They fell into silence, watching TV, though Larry wasn't paying much attention, his brain now replaying the whole conversation over between him and Sal over and over again


	3. Strangest of the Strange

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sal performs again and Larry and Sal talk some more

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kudos I'm glad people are enjoying this! I'm sorry it took a minute to update, work is trying to kill me by working me six days a week and I had some personal things that made me too sad to write. But I'm back again!
> 
> When I heard the song I used for Sal's performance I almost screamed at how perfect it felt.
> 
> As always kudos and comments are always appreciated! Same as before, Sal is a cis male but when in drag he goes by female pronouns. I know what I am doing trust me. 
> 
> Also Happy Pride Month!

The Oddity was just as packed as it had been the Friday before, if not more. It probably had something to do with it being the beginning of the month which meant it was payday for most people. Payday meant more cash to throw at drinks and give to the local queens. The beginning of the month was a good time for everyone at the bar.

Even Larry had found himself with a little extra cash, having picked up an extra commission earlier that week. It had been a quick painting, something abstract and dark and had paid good enough that he wasn't gonna have to eat nothing but ramen that week. He had been put in such a good mood from the extra cash that he didn't feel as antisocial as he had the week before. He was even willing to give in to Ashley pulling him closer to the stage as the lights began to dim to the bright spotlight pointing to middle of the stage.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen to The Oddity!" CJ's voice boomed a little too loudly over the speakers. The crowd didn't seem to mind as they cheered back at him, drowning him out just a little. "We're your local neighborhood punk bar and the only place in a 25 mile radius where you can see taxidermied rabbits in pirate hats and boys in dresses in the same room." There was a wave of laughter at that and CJ chuckled into the mic as he clicked away at his computer setup, readying up the playlist of songs. "Now of course we all know why you're here tonight. You're here to see some lovely ladies dance and " _sing_ "" CJ did quotation marks with his fingers and a wink. "And we are more than willing to give you just that. So welcome to the stage, our first queen!"

Ashley nudged Larry with her elbow as a Spice Girls' song started to play over the speakers, a bright grin on her face as she began to sing along with the lyrics. It was contagious, her bubbling giddiness, as she bumped her hips into his and Larry couldn't help but laugh into the drink in his hand. He tried to keep up a bit of a cold front, rolling his eyes and shaking his head but eventually he gave in, relaxing and swaying slightly to the poppy beat. Ashley grabbed his free hand, coaxing him to dance with her as the drag queen started to make her way around the room.

As the song ended and the drag queen bowed to a round of claps and cheers, CJ's voice came back over the speakers. "Wasn't she amazing everyone?" He asked excitedly, motioning to the drag queen's retreating form. A few whistles came back in response. "Alright, keep it going and show just as much love to our next performer! Let's welcome her to the stage!" CJ introduced the second drag queen as the extremely familiar beginning bars of Whitney Houston's song So Emotional began to play. Ashley practically squealed next to Larry, causing the man to begin to laugh heartily at her excitement.

The queen on stage began to lipsync to the song, arms going up in a flourish. Ashley grabbed Larry's arm, shaking him as she began to sing along to the song. Larry had to try hard not to spill his drink. Ashley danced next to him, hand still wrapped around his forearm, jostling him as she tried to get him to dance again with her. He laughed and gave into her demands, dancing with the brunette as the drag queen performed dramatically in front of them. He could hear people laughing beside them as they danced, but he was in such a good mood, he couldn't even be bothered to care what they thought of him. Eventually the drag queen came around to collect her tips as the song started to come to an end. The queen gracefully made her exit as CJ's voice came back out through the speakers above.

"Well we only have one gorgeous lady left tonight and I know a lot of you have been waiting just for her! Please welcome Sally Face!" CJ announced as rock music began to play over the speakers, the crowd clapping and whistling as Sally made her way from behind the curtain.

It took Larry a moment to figure out what song was playing at first, mainly because his brain stopped working as his focused Sally's outfit for the night. She had a red bobbed wig that fell right before her shoulders, mask painted similar to last week only without the gem and burgundy lips instead of bright red. She was wearing short dark blue velvet slip dress over dark ripped tights. She had chunky combat boots on her feet and the straps of a black bra could be seen under her dress as they were starting to slip down her shoulders. Larry tried to not watch Sally's hips sway to the best as he recognized the lyrics to Garbage's Queer start to play.

_Hey boy, take a look at me_  
_Let me dirty up your mind_  
_I'll strip away your hard veneer_  
_And see what I can find_

Sally slid down to her knees, hands sliding up her thighs, hiking up her dress, exposing more of the ripped tights. People began to whistle and cheer in the crowd. She began to crawling over to the edge of the stage, closer to the front of the crowd.

 _The queerest of the queer_  
_The strangest of the strange_  
_The coldest of the cool_  
_The lamest of the lame_  
_The numbest of the dumb_  
_I hate to see you here_  
_You choke behind a smile_  
_A fake behind the fear_  
_The queerest of the quee_ r

Sally held out her hands as people began pulling out money from their pockets, sitting back on her knees as she accepted the tips.

_This is what he pays me for_  
_I'll show you how it's done_  
_You learn to love the pain you feel_  
_Like father like son_

She shoved the crumpled money down her dress before moving back onto her feet and jumping down from the stage to move down and walk through the crowd.

_The queerest of the queer_  
_Hide inside your head_  
_The blindest of the blind_  
_The deadest of the dead_  
_You're hungry 'cause you starve_  
_While holding back the tears_  
_Choking on your smile_  
_A fake behind the fear_  
_The queerest of the queer_

Sally eventually made her way to where Ashley and Larry were standing. She winked at Ashley and grabbed her hands, swaying along with the music. Ashley laughed and danced along, letting herself be pulled away from Larry and spinning Sally with one hand before stepping closer, pressing closer to the drag queen.

_I know what's good for you, you can touch me if you want_  
_I know you're dying to, you can touch me if you want_  
_I know what's good for you, you can touch me if you want_

Ashley and Sally's hips moved to the music, egged on by the crowd around them, practically grinding along to the song.

_But you can't stop_  
_The queerest of the queer_  
_The strangest of the strange_  
_The coldest of the cool_  
_The lamest of the lame_  
_The numbest of the dumb_  
_I hate to see you here_  
_You choke behind a smile_  
_A fake behind the fear_  
_The queerest of the queer_

Eventually Sally stepped away from Ashley, who gave her one more twirl before giving her a firm slap on the ass. Sally laughed, audible over the song. She turned towards Larry next, moving close to the brunet, head tipping to the side as she continued to sway her hips.

_The strangest of the strange_  
_The coldest of the cool_  
_You're nothing special here_  
_A fake behind the fear_  
_The queerest of the queer_  
_I know what's good for you I know you're dying to_

Larry felt his face reddening as Sally looked up at him, eyes dark behind the mask on his face. Sally moved a hand up to the strap of her dress, her fingers running along the thin piece of the material as she let it fall down off her shoulder. Larry held up his tip for Sally, hand almost shaking as he smiled nervously at her. She shook her head and pointed to the front of her dress, which had ones and fives sticking out of the black bra. Larry's eyes widened as he realized what Sally was suggesting.

_I know what's good for you_  
_I bet you're dying to_  
_You can touch me if you want_  
_You can touch me if you want_

Hesitantly Larry slid the five down the front of Sally's dress, hands fully shaking now as his fingertips brushed again the pale skin underneath. He let out a shaky breath as he pulled his hand back, eyes locking with Sally's. Sally's eyes were crinkled in the corners, signaling the drag queen was grinning beneath the mask. Sally gave him another wink as she turned back towards the stage, making her way back through the crowd as the song began to wind down.

_You can touch me_  
_You can touch me_  
_But you can't stop_

Sally quickly picked up any fallen dollars off the stage before making her way back behind the curtain. Larry ran a hand over his face, trying to will his face back to its normal hue. When he glanced back over to Ashley, he was met with a huge knowing grin. "Shut up." He said before taking a sip of his drink. Ashley held up her hands, laughing.

"I didn't say anything!"

"Yeah, but you're thinking it, Campbell." He said pointing an accusing finger towards the woman. She only laughed harder. He rolled his eyes and began to weave his way through the dissipating crowd, back towards were Todd and Niel were standing at the bar. Ashley's laugh dissolved to just a smirk as she followed.

They chatted for a few minutes as the people around them started to make their way out of the bar and soon they were joined by a familiar short figure, backpack slung over his shoulders as he made his way next to Ashley. "Hey." He said with a wave. Ashley grinned and put an arm around his shoulders, pulling him into a quick hug.

"Amazing show as always, Sally Face." Neil said before draining the last of his beer and placing it onto the bar for the bartender to take. Sal ducked his head, embarrassed.

"Thanks." There was a smile to his voice even though he was clearly shy about the compliments.

"So on to our normal spot?" Ash asked as she placed her empty cup next to Neil's bottle. Sal nodded and adjusted his backpack as Larry and Todd followed suit, placing their finished drinks down on the bar. Ashley lead the group outside, talking excitedly about how good the whole show had been. Larry lagged behind, falling into step beside Sal as they walked down the sidewalk towards the diner.

He glanced down at the shorter man, giving him a small smile as he realized Sal had been looking at him as well. Sal looked away and with his hair pulled up in pigtails, Larry could see the faintest hint of red coloring Sal's ears. Larry bit his lip, holding back a grin as he thought back to what Todd had said the other day. About Sal possibly being interested in him. The thought alone made his heart speed up, just a little. He shook his head, clearing his mind as they made their way through the front door the diner.

\------------

A few days later, Larry found himself walking over to the local gas station. He tried to lie to himself, that he was only there for a fresh pack of cigarettes, but as he crossed the street and let the smell of gasoline hit him, he had to admit the truth. He was going to have to apply for a job here. He hadn't thought it would have to come to this, but commissions weren't really coming as quickly as he had hoped and he could only eat so many cheap pasta a day. Plus he felt so bad about barely being able to help with rent and bills, no matter how much Todd and Neil tried to reassure him that it was fine. He always ended up feeling like a bum when he saw them writing out the monthly checks for everything and he was only able to throw a spare fifty their way.

So here he was, standing in front of the local Gas n Go, staring at the dreaded help wanted sign in the window. Larry sighed as he pushed through the door, wincing at the a little too loud chime that signaled his arrival. Behind the counter was a bored looking teen, hunched over the counter reading a magazine as he chewed loudly on his gum. Larry made his way over, begrudgingly, as he pulled his wallet out from his back pocket. "Hey, can I get a pack of Marlboro reds?" He asked, pulling out his ID and holding it up for the cashier to see. The teen stood up with a sigh, clearly annoyed to be doing actual work and barely glanced at the ID in Larry's hand as he reached up to pull the red box down and placed it on the counter in front of him.

"You need some matches?" The cashier asked, cracking his gum between his teeth. Larry shook his head and watched as the teen began to punch in numbers into his register. "That'll be $3.72." He said, voice dripping with boredom. Larry pulled out a five, handed it to the cashier and waited for his change, hand extended.

"Uh so, can I have an application? I see the help wanted and-" He was interrupted as the cashier placed the change into his waiting hand before sliding a paper across the counter towards him.

"Here you go." The teen said, uninterested in hearing anything more. Larry was starting to hope that this was the person they were trying to replace because he had no interest in working with this kid.

"Ummm thanks." Larry put away his change and wallet before picking up the application off the counter. He folded it carefully and slipped it into his back pocket. As he grabbed his cigarettes off the counter, the door chimed again, cause both people in the store to turn towards the noise. A familiar flash of blue hair caught Larry's eye. "Oh hey Sal!" He greeted, catching the younger man's attention. Sal paused and waved before making his way back towards the slushie machine. Larry followed, leaning against the counter next to the machine as Sal picked out which size cup he wanted.

"So, come here often?" Sal asked, pouring himself a red slurpee, catching Larry off guard with his flirty tone. He knew Sal was joking, purposely trying to sound like a shitty pick up artist, but Larry was already crushing on Sal enough that it made his pulse race like he was actually being hit on. Larry cleared his throat as he nervously chuckled.

"Oh you know, only when I want the finest food poisoning this town has to offer." He replied, hoping it came off a cool and collected as he wanted. Sal laughed and snapped on the lid of his drink before grabbing the straw and heading towards the counter.

"That's why I only stick to the slurpees." He said, handing the cashier a buck and pausing to open the straw and push it into the bright red slush.

"A wise choice. So no work or school today?" Larry asked. Sal reached back and popped the bottom clasp to his prosthetic, slipping the straw beneath and taking a sip before answering.

"I'm on my lunch break, actually. There isn't many options within walking distance and I really don't trust the food here so slurpees it is!" Sal said cheerfully as he started to make his way out of the store.

"I really can't blame you." Larry said as he began to follow Sal out. "Well, I don't have anything better to do. Would you mind if I joined you on your lunch break?" Larry tried hard to sound nonchalant as he started hitting the pack of cigarettes against his palm. Sal turned to look up at Larry, eyes wide behind his prosthetic. Larry could see the redness in his ears again.

"Totally!" Sal said brightly before turning back away from Larry, the red on his ear getting deeper as he took another sip of his slurpee. "I mean. You know. If you want." He said with a cough before starting back towards the sidewalk. Larry bit back a grin as he followed Sal, soon falling into step with the shorter man and fished out his lighter from his front pocket. He pulled the cellophane off the new pack and tucked the trash into his pocket. He pulled one out, putting it between his lips and lighting it before speaking again.

"So I gotta ask. What made you get into drag? Like I know, Ash pushed you into it, but what made you interested in the first place?" Larry asked. Sal hummed in thought as he took another sip of his drink, visibly thinking over the question at hand.

"I guess it's the confidence that drag queens exude, you know?" He glanced over at Larry for a moment before looking forward at the sidewalk and kicking a few rocks as he walked. "I have always wanted to feel that, to be that confident. So when Ashley had managed to drag me to The Oddity on Drag Night, I was just blown away with every part of it. I couldn't stop talking about how awesome they looked and how great their performances were and I guess Ash could see how badly I wanted to be like them, performing on stage. So she annoyed me for two weeks straight until I gave in and let her buy me a dress and wig." Sal laughed, shaking his head, remembering the relentlessness of the girl. Larry smiled as he listened. He hadn't expected Sal to be so truthful but it made him happy he had been willing to share.

"She did the same thing to me." Larry started, causing Sal to look over at him. "When we were in high school, trying to decide what college to go to, I wasn't sure if I wanted to chase my dreams or give in and go for some easy degree that would get me a good paying job. I was so indecisive that I didn't even start actually looking at college brochures for a whole year after we graduated." Larry took a drag of his cigarette and let out a soft chuckle. "Ashley knew what I really wanted, that I wanted to go to that really nice art school in the city. That I was terrified of taking the risk. And she bugged me for two months to go for it. Like we almost stopped being friends that's how much she got on my case about it!" Larry grestered dramatically, causing Sal to have duck to miss Larry's flailing arm. "Oh shit, sorry." Larry apologized quickly, shoving his free hand into his pocket. Sal quickly waved him off.

"It's cool. Keep going." He took another drink of his slurpee as he motioned for Larry to keep talking.

"Oh. Um. So she annoyed me for two months until finally I applied out of spite, convinced I was going to be rejected. I wanted to show her I was right, that they would reject me and she was wrong the whole time. But she was fucking right." Larry took another puff and shook his head in disbelief. "I got in. Even after being over a year out of high school, they accepted me and I was even able to get financial aid. And Ash was so fucking smug." Larry couldn't help but roll his eyes at the memory of Ashley waving the acceptance letter in his face and ranting about how she had been right, as always. The memory warmed his heart and pissed him off at the same time. "But then I got there and um, I guess I was right in the end. I failed at my dream."

Larry tried hard not to sound sad. He had already had his pity party about the whole situation when he had first moved back and he wasn't about to have another one in front of this guy he just meet like two weeks ago that he totally has a small crush on. He threw the butt of his cigarette on the ground and crushed it under his heel as he cleared his throat.

"After my second year was up I decided to come home for a while. I was so stressed and anxious all the time I just sort of felt like I wasn't even making art for me anymore. I was just pumping it out mechanically. It was awful. I want to go back some time in the future but… for now I'm back home, indefinitely." Larry looked over at Sal, who was listening intently silently sipping on the last dregs of his drink. He looked around and realized they weren't too far from the record shop.

"Well looks like this is my stop." Sal said as he chucked his mostly empty cup in the trashcan near the front of the store. They paused outside the store and Sal reclipped the clasp of his prosthetic. "I'm pretty sure my lunch is almost up and David will have an anxiety attack if I'm even one minute over. This was fun. I like having these talks with you." Sal's eyes crinkled behind his prosthetic which showed he was smiling and it made something warm bloom in Larry's chest.

"Yea? I like them too." Larry said with a grin.

"Well then let's have some more, soon." Sal turned to go inside before stopping and turning back towards Larry. "Um real quick. I think it's really brave of you to tell me about leaving college, especially when you didn't have to. Like I'm just some guy you know." Sal fidgeted with the sleeves of his hoodie. "And I don't think you failed. You took a huge risk and had to make a hard decision between getting your degree or saving your love of art. And honestly, I think you made the right decision. Losing your passion for something you love isn't worth some degree. So don't beat yourself up about it." Larry felt his face heat up at Sal's words as he stared at him silently, trying to think of what to say. He felt strangely better about the whole thing, hearing it put like that. Eventually he found his voice again, nervously rubbing the back of his neck as he spoke.

"Uh thanks dude. I guess I never thought of it like that. I guess I'll talk to you later." Larry shoved his hands into his pockets when he remembered something. "Oh yeah! You're gonna be at the party at the townhouse this Saturday, right?" Sal perked up at that and nodded excitedly.

"Yup!"

"Awesome. I'll see you there." Larry grinned. Sal nodded again.

"See ya." Sal turned and went back inside the record shop. Larry watched as he made his way through the isles to the back of the store before reaching into his back pocket and pulling the application out. He stared down at the paper for a moment, letting Sal's words run through his head a few more times as he turned the application around in his hands. With a shake of his head, Larry crumpled the paper up before chucking it into the trash can. He suddenly wasn't ready to give up and pump gas just yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I use a mid nineties grunge song to create some sexual tension? I might have yes.
> 
> Also I just live for the idea of Ashley and Larry being best bros from childhood!


	4. Tonight, Tonight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little get together between friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I in love with this chapter? No not at all. But I finally managed to put my thoughts down in a way that didn't make me cringe and I really wanted to add a little more backstory.
> 
> I'm so sorry it took so long for this chapter to come out. Life hit me hard and I lost all inspiration for like a month straight.
> 
> I'm gonna try to be better about updating! 
> 
> I hope y'all enjoy this chapter because while I don't love it, I did have some fun writing some parts of it. And as always feedback is always welcome!

Saturday night had come a lot faster than Larry had been ready for. He had been so busy with a commission he had gotten a few days ago that when he had woken up Saturday morning, he had almost forgotten about the party they were having later that night. If you could even call it a party. It was literally just a handful of their friends and a few acquaintances hanging out at their house, but Neil had insisted it was a party. Had made Larry go out and get snacks and beer and even steamers. "Streamers? Seriously?" Todd laughed as he helped Larry unpack the groceries. Larry rolled his eyes and chucked a bag of pretzels at Todd, who actually managed to catch them despite usually being the worst at anything remotely athletic.

"It was Neil's idea, so if you're gonna mock anyone, you can mock your boyfriend." He said, placing a few boxes of beer in the freshly cleared out fridge.

"He won't mock me. He loves me too much." Neil said smugly as he walked into the kitchen. "And what's wrong with streamers? It's a party, why can't I decorate for the party?" He asked, going from cheerful to distressed in seconds. Todd rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he handed Neil the rolls of streamers.

"Its a 'get together' at best, but if you want to decorate, then no one is stopping you." He gave Neil a pat on the shoulder before leaning in to press a kiss to his cheek. He went back to the counter with the bags and continued to pull out chip bags out. Neil beamed and looked at the streamers in his hands. Quickly his grin was replaced by pure confusion.

"Why are they black and red?" Neil asked, sounding actually hurt by them being your wrong colors. Larry shrugged.

"You didn't specify what colors you wanted so I picked my favorite."

"Its gonna look like a punk rock themed prom with these." Neil said, clearly annoyed. Todd burst out laughing.

"Sick." Larry said, throwing up devil horns as he stuck out his tongue. Neil shook his head.

"Whatever, it's not like anyone will even notice." He said defeated with a pout as he made his way to the living room. Todd chuckled and shook his head, following him into the living room to help. Larry laughed and continued to set up the snacks.

Ashley was the first person to show up, barring the gift of cheap vodka as she walked through the front door with a grin. "Hey! Hope I'm not too early!" She said as she closed the door behind her. Larry quickly retrieved the bottle from her hands and she began to pull her coat off and hang it up on the rack next to the door.

"No it's cool, Chug just texted me and said him and Maple are like five minutes away. Their babysitter actually managed to show up on time." Larry said, making his way to the kitchen to put the bottle next to the other random assortment of liquor they had managed to dig out of their cabinet. Ashley followed behind, pausing to grab a red plastic cup from the stack next to the soda.

"Awww I miss seeing little Soda! I wish they could have brought her!" She said, pouring the cup half full of coke before grabbing a bottle of rum from the collection on the counter and topping off the glass. Larry laughed and shook his head.

"Yeah I don't think they wanted to bring their daughter to a house with drunk and high people." He said, motioning to the drink in her hand. Ashley looked down at her drink with a pout before shrugging and taking a drink.

"You're right." She slinked back towards the living room, spotting Todd's ipod plugged up to a speaker in the corner. She bounced over to the device, setting her cup on the coffee table as she began to scroll through various songs. "Well I'm gonna pick some good music before you get ahold of this and try to play nothing but metal music like last time." She said, flopping down on the couch next to where the speaker was set up.

"Yo metal music is amazing and you know it, Campbell." Larry faked an offended tone before opening up the fridge and pulling out a cold beer. Soon the familiar sounds of Smashing Pumpkins began to fill the living room. Larry cracked open his can, taking a sip as he contemplated bitching about the music choice, but he had to admit that he couldn't actually bring himself to complain about Billy Corrigan. A knock on the door brought him out of his thoughts. "Come on in!" He called as he made his way into the living room with Ash, taking a seat on the couch next to her as the front door opened.

"Hey!" Chug greeted with wave as him and Maple stepped inside, shutting the door behind them.

"Hey guys, glad you could make it!" Neil said as him and Todd made their way from the back. They had been in the backyard setting up the firepit for later.

"There's drinks and snacks in the kitchen." Larry took a sip of his beer and turned his attention to the TV. On the screen, The Evil Dead was playing, muted with subtitles on.

"Oh sweet." Chug said excitedly, making a beeline to where the chips were set up. Maple made her way over to the loveseat and took a seat.

"So who else is coming?" She asked as she started to watch the movie on the TV as well. Eventually Chug returned with a soda for her as well as a plate stacked with snacks. He took a seat next to her, handing over the soda and beginning to munch on the food on his plate.

"Well Sal should be here in a bit and he said he was gonna bring a couple people from the bar." Ashley answered as she hit the send button on her phone, most likely texting Sal himself. Maple nodded and took a sip of her coke.

"Well that's cool. I think we've only met Sal a few times. I'm interested in getting to know him a little bit better." She said as she set her cup on the coffee table. Todd tsked and walked over, moving both Maple and Ashley's cups onto coasters.

"Stop trying to ruin our coffee table, you heathens." He scorned with a waggle of his finger. Larry chuckled into his beer as both girls dramatically rolled their eyes almost in unison. Todd threw his hands up, exsaturbated, and made his way back to the kitchen.

They continued their small talk as they all slowly nursed their respective drinks and they caught up with each other on what they had been doing for the past month. It felt weirdly grown up and awkward. At least for Larry. He was slightly glad when a knock at the door interrupted the chit chat. "Come on in, the doors unlocked!" He called over the music.

"Well that's not safe, we could have been murderers." Sal poked his head through the doorway before opening it wider to reveal four more bodies behind him, three standing and one, well, sitting. As they made their way in, the living room started to feel a little crowded.

Ashley reached over and lowered the music just a bit as the five extra people situated themselves around the room. "Hey." Sal said as he waved almost timidly to everyone around the room before moving to pull of his thin black hoodie, exposing a pair of black overalls covered in various punk band patches and what seemed to be a very distressed looking Operation Ivy tee shirt underneath. Larry couldn't help but notice that punk was a very good look on him.

Everyone waved back as they greeted him back before turning their attention to his friends. Sal seemed to suddenly remember that everyone might not actually know who they are, especially not Maple or Chug. "Oh! Um so these are my friends from the bar! This is Robert." He said, motioning towards a man most notably sporting a bright red mohawk and a leather jacket covered in spikes and studs. "He's works as a bouncer there on most nights." Robert gave a nod and a quiet 'hey' as everyone greeted him.

"This is Sierra," He pointed to a brunette girl in an oversized Nightmare Before Christmas hoodie "and Azaria." He turned their attention to a petite curly haired girl. Both girls waved. "They are two of the best bartenders at The Oddity. And of course I'm sure most of you are familiar with CJ." Sal finished his introductions, slapping a hand on the blond's shoulder as he did. CJ laughed and shook his head.

"My job is being obnoxious and never shutting the fuck up." He said as he wheeled himself closer to the middle of the room where everyone was seated. Most of the gang laughed at his joke, save for Chug and Maple who sort of looked confused.

"CJ is the emcee for all of their events, like drag night or trivia." Ashley explained. The couple both nodded and turned back towards the group.

"God I could never talk in front of a crowd like that. Especially a crowd of drunk people!" Maple exclaimed, looking queasy at just the idea. CJ laughed and shrugged.

"It's actually not that bad once you get used to it." He said with an easy grin. Sierra and Azaria made their way to the kitchen for drinks and Sal took a look around the room.

"I like your streamers." He commented, pointing up at where they had been strung from the corners to the ceiling fan in the middle of room. Neil began to beam with pride.

"Thank you! Larry and Todd thought they were stupid." He shot the two a smug look, causing Larry to almost choke on his beer as he laughed. Todd rolled his eyes and shook his head in disbelief.

"Nah dude, the streamers are cool as hell." Robert agreed, only causing Neil to grin wider and Larry to laugh harder. Sal made his way over to the only available seat left, conveniently next to Larry on the couch. Larry's laughter eventually died down and they all lawd into small talk as the group tried to get to know the newcomers a little bit better. Larry tried hard not to think about how Sal's knee brushed his every once and a while as he shifted on the couch.

Larry looked at his beer that he had drinking slowly for the past hour. It had gone warm a while ago but it was finally down to its last swig, which he took before heading into the kitchen to grab another. He paused and threw his empty into the recycle before opening the fridge and pulling out a second can. He startled when he turned to find Sal standing behind him, looking at the various snacks on has counter. "Hey." He said, a grin forming on his lips. Sal looked up over at him and gave a small wave.

"Hi."

"You want a beer?" Larry asked, hand already towards the handle of the fridge. Sal quickly shook his head.

"No, I, um, don't drink." He said, reaching up to fiddle with a stray piece of hair that had fallen out his bun. Larry nodded and shrug.

"That's cool." Sal relaxed at Larry's response, glad he didn't start to question him like most people did. "Well do you smoke?" Larry asked after a few mins moments of thought. He reached into the pocket of his flannel, pulling out the joint he has stashed there earlier in the night.

"Oh fuck yeah!" Sal exclaimed, causing Larry to laugh.

"Awesome, follow me. Todd and Neil don't like me smoking in the house." He motioned for Sal to follow before making his way down the hallway and through the backdoor that lead to the backyard.

The fire pit hadn't been lit yet and the sun had already set, leaving the backyard so dark it took a moment for their eyes to adjust. Larry carefully guided them to the picnic table sitting beneath the large drooping tree. They took a seat across each other before Larry fished out a lighter to light the end of the joint. In the dark he could see Sal unbuckling his prosthetic, feeling comfortable enough in the pitch black to pull it up halfway. There wasn't much light pollution in their town and the only light visible was the scattering of stars and the cherry of the joint in his mouth. Even so, Larry could make out a but of an outline of Sal's face, a jagged jawline with no details. Larry took a deep drag of the joint, letting the smoke fill his lungs.

"Alright so since you work at a record store, I gotta know, what kind of music do you listen to? You know, when you're not listening to women lead grunge bands." Larry asked with a grin and low chuckle, smoke leaking with his words. He heard Sal let out a snort of laughter in the dark.

"Hey! I can't help it that I enjoy music made by strong, badass women, okay?" He said, his tone jokingly defensive. Larry laughed and held out the joint for Sal to take. "Hmmm, let's see. I like a lot of different music to be honest." He carefully took the joint from Larry's fingers, fingertips lingering just a second as he plucked it from his hand. Larry was glad for the dark as his face heat up with a light flush. Without the mask muffling as he spoke, Larry could hear a slight rasp to Sal's voice. He couldn't help but think it was attractive as hell. "I obviously like grunge and punk."

"Obviously." Larry teased, watching as Sal brought the joint up to his mouth and inhaled. He couldn't see his face but would bet money he was giving him an annoyed look, if the way he blew out his smoke in a huff was any hint.

"I like also some rap, you know like Tupac, Biggie, shit that has substance and heart. Ummm I have been listening a few bands from this one genre lately. Have you ever heard of emo?" Sal asked as he handed the joint back across the table. Larry took a hit and shook his head before realizing that the motion couldn't be seen. He let out a slightly choked 'no' as he exhaled. "It's really big in New Jersey. I went to a few shows at the local V.F.W when I still lived there. There's some really great bands out there. Thursday, Finch, Jimmy Eat World, Brand New." Larry could just barely make out Sal ticking them off on his fingers as he spoke. "I'd recommend them all"

"Yeah, totally, next time I got a little extra cash I'll pick up one of their albums." Larry passed the joint back over to Sal, being careful as it was slowly becoming too small to easily pass in the dark without the risk of singed fingertips. "You like metal?"

"Uh duh. I love that shit. Metallica, Pantera, fucking Sanity's Fall, dude. How could I not?" Sal said before taking his turn with the joint. Larry felt a spike of excitement run through him.

"Sanity's Fall is literally my favorite band ever. I've seen them in concert like six times since I was fifteen." He said as smoothly as he could, trying to not show how he was practically buzzing in his seat.

"I'm jealous." Sal said as he passed the roach back over to Larry, a smile clear in his voice. "I was always too nervous to go to one of their shows, too many people. A small basement show is a lot different than a stadium show, ya know?" Larry hummed in agreement as he took a hit, careful not to burn himself as the cherry got close to his fingers.

"If they come back around sometime soon maybe we could catch them. I'd make sure no one would fuck with you." He said trying to make it sound casual but the thought of taking Sal to a show made his heart beat a little faster.

"I'm sure you would." He replied, that flirting tone once again lacing his words. It made Larry's cheeks flush red. Larry offered the last of joint. "Nah I'm good, you can finish it." He declined and Larry shrugged taking the final hit he could get off the tiny butt. "So how did you and Ashley meet?" Sal asked after a moment, surprising Larry a bit at the sudden subject change. He let out his breath of smoke.

"Uh so…" He started, wondering whether he wanted to tell this story or not. Nerves of Sal judging him made his chest tight for a second before he cleared his throat and shook his head. "Okay. When I was 10, I had to go to juvie for almost 2 months. I was fucking around with fireworks that I really really wasn't supposed to playing with. I could have lost a fucking finger! One shot off onto my neighbor's window and ended up landing in her rabbit's cage. I felt so fucking terrible but the cops acted like I did it on purpose. Mrs. Gibbson wouldn't drop the charges no matter how much I apologized."

"Jesus dude, that is horrible. I'm sorry that happened to you." Sal said, true sympathy in his words. Larry was sorta glad he couldn't see his face, unsure if he could continue if he could see the look of pity probably etching his features.

"It only got worse after that. My dad… he left shortly after. Just packed up his stuff one morning and took off, leaving my mom completely distraught." Larry tried hard not to sound choked up. He stubbed out the roach on the picnic table before tossing it out into the yard. Sal made a sound, something sad but didn't say anything. "We found out a month later that he had been in a car crash and passed away. It… it was a hard few months for us." In the dark, Sal reached forward and gently took Larry's hand, giving it a small squeeze. Larry let out a shaky breath. "I ended up having to repeat the 5th grade because of the amount of school I missed being in juvie. No one really talked to me, most of them convinced I was some criminal but there was this one kid who made it his mission to make me miserable. He constantly brought it up, even called me 'Jailbird Johnson.' I fucking hated him. But I just ignored it. I just wanted to get through the year without starting anymore trouble.

"I didn't want to upset my mom anymore so I didn't fight back. Until one day he started teasing me more than usual. He was just saying the worst shit he could think of and he told me that my dad had left because he was ashamed of me. That he couldn't handle having a 'piece of shit son like me.' I was gonna break his nose for that, was practically foaming at the mouth at how much I hated him in that moment." Larry paused thinking back to the moment, the pure rage he had felt hearing those words. Sal gave his hand another squeeze in reassurance. "I was just about to slug him in the face when out of nowhere this girl launched herself at the little shit. I was so shocked I didn't even know what to do. She was screaming and cursing him out and punching him in the face. It was amazing." There was pure awe in his voice as he replayed the moment in his head. "The teachers rushed over and had to physically pull her off and we both ended up in detention. They had said because I didn't try to stop her I was just as guilty as her."

"That's bullshit." Sal sounded slightly angry but Larry couldn't help but laugh.

"I didn't care honestly. Once we were in detention she finally introduced herself. Ash said she would have done it a million times more just to wipe that smug look of that kids stupid face. She was super proud of the black eye she had given him and since then we have been best friends. It didn't stop him from torturing me but he never talked about my dad ever again." A light in one of the back bedrooms came on, casting a light into backyard. Sal quickly pulled his hand from Larry's, moving to pull his prosthetic back over his face before anything could be seen.

"God, Ashley sure is a fucking badass." Sal said, a slightly nervous laugh escaping. Larry nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. Funny enough, we even tried dating sophomore year of high school. But we only got like a month in before we realized that we just wanted to be friends." Larry laughed as he remembered awkwardly making out with her in his basement. The memory brought a blush to his face. He shook his head at the thought. "Jesus, what was his name?" He thought for a minute, snapping his fingers as he tried to remember. "Uh. I think it was Travis Phelps." Sal let out a startled laugh, catching Larry by surprise.

"Oh my God." He choked out as he cupped his face in his hands, shoulders starting to shake with silent laughter.

"What?" Larry asked, thoroughly confused what was suddenly so funny. Sal looked back up at him and shook his head as he tried to stop laughing.

"Fucking Travis Phelps." He said, disbelief in his voice as he regained his composure.

"You… know him?" Larry raised an eyebrow as Sal reached under his prosthetic to wipe a tear away from his eyes from laughing.

"I guess you could say that. We went on a few dates not long after I moved here." Larry's jaw dropped at that.

"I'm sorry, you're telling me that Travis Phelps, bible thumping, preacher's son, 'being gay is a sin don't even look at me you homo', _Travis_ _Phelps_ is not only gay, but actually willing to go on dates with other men? This can't be the same Travis." He was completely unable to wrap his head around the idea. Travis had not only bullied him about his criminal record, he had also bullied him about his long hair and tight jeans in high school. Larry had vivid memories of that asshole calling him a fag any chance he could. And that was way before he came out as bisexual in senior year. Sal shrugged.

"Blond, about your height, darker complexion? I don't know how many Travis Phelps' there are in this town but this one was definitely a preacher's son and I wouldn't exactly say he was fully out of the closet. I'm actually kind of convinced that he only tried to date me because so many people mistake me for a girl, he wasn't actually afraid to be seen with me in public." Larry could practically hear the eyeroll in Sal's voice.

"Holy shit. I can't believe it." Larry said in slight shock. He had always kind of wondered, if Travis's bullying had come from his own fear of his sexuality. But to have it confirmed still blew him away.

"He was nice at first, even though I always got the sense that I was some kind of secret. But on the fourth date we had, he took me to the movies and got really handsy." Sal visibly shuddered at the memory. "I was so uncomfortable. By the end, he was pretty much begging me to sleep with him. I was pissed. I told him I wasn't like that. I didn't just sleep around. He got angry and called me a tease." Sal crossed his arms, anger dripping from his voice. "I told him to go fuck himself and had to call my dad to come pick me up. The next week, his stupid fucking church was protesting outside the bar on drag night! All because I wouldn't suck his dick!" Sal was practically shaking with rage.

"Good to see Travis is still just as much of a fucking prick as always." Larry laughed bitterly. Sal shook his head and a little tension released in his shoulders.

"Whatever, lesson learned. Don't go on dates with religious weirdos." Sal said with a shrug and a chuckle.

"Have you at least had any better dates since then?" Larry asked. He suddenly wondered if Sal was dating anyone, though he was sure Ashley or Todd would have mentioned it by now. Still the idea that he had been reading the signals wrong and Sal had never actually been flirting with him this whole time made him very anxious. Sal shook his head.

"People aren't really interested in dating Michael Myers." Sal joked.

"People shouldn't judge you by your prosthetic, which I personally think is really fucking cool by the way. And if someone actually took the time to get to know you, they'd realize that the person underneath is pretty awesome." Sal seemed stunned into silence by Larry's words. He struggled for a moment, trying to find a way to respond when the backdoor opened, startling them both. Robert poked his head out the door.

"Hey, we're about to head out. You coming?" He asked, motioning back towards the door with a jerk of his head. Sal cleared his throat and nodded.

"Yeah give me a minute." He called back. Robert nodded back before retreating back inside. Sal stood up from the picnic table and stretched before brushing off the backside of his overalls. Larry looked up at him, a sudden surge of weed induced confidence taking over.

"If your interested, I could maybe give it a try." He asked and then winced as he realized he wasn't making any sense. Sal blinked down at him, clearly confused.

"What?"

"A better date. Taking you on one. Fuck. God I suck at this." Larry felt like his face was on fire as embarrassment started to overtake him.

"Are you asking me out?" Sal asked after a moment as he finally realized what Larry was saying. Larry scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly.

"I'm trying to, if I could get my mouth to form a proper sentence."

"Oh um yeah. Yes!" Sal said, seeming suddenly flustered. He felt around his pockets before pulling out a flip phone. "Here. Let me get your number." He flipped open the phone, flinching as the light lit up in his face before tapping through the menus. After a series of beeps, he handed it over for Larry to type in his number. Larry took the device and quickly tapped on the keys before handing it back. Sal hit the save button, double checking that it actually saved before slipping the phone back into his pocket. "Cool. I'll text you later, okay?" He asked, a hint of excitement in his voice as he did.

"Yeah, sounds great. I'll talk to you later." Larry grinned with a nod. Sal made his way back to the house, pausing to wave before slipping back inside.

Larry sat in the dark for a moment, listening to the quiet sounds of the neighborhood as he tried to will his face back to its normal color. He jumped when his phone chimed in his pocket and he fumbled with it for a second before getting it free from his jeans. The light was blinding as he flipped it open to read the message

_**Hey, it's Sal :)** _

Larry couldn't help the stupid grin that spread his face as he saved the number in his contacts


	5. Let's Make This Night Last Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Larry and Sal go on a date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this chapter took so long to put out! I am just working like crazy and that sucks all the Inspiration out of me most days. I usually come home and just want to watch stupid videos all night and then sleep. 
> 
> But I forced myself to sit down and finish this chapter and I like most of it. Some of it isn't the best but I like a lot of the dialogue and I think a lot of it comes off really sweet. Also I named the chapter after Blink 182's song First Date and I can't stop laughing about that because the song really matches this chapter.
> 
> I could sit here and promise to get the next chapter out sooner than I did this one but I'm not gonna lie to y'all like that. Also I'm like 90 percent sure I'm gonna put out another one shot before the next chapter that I have a brewing so keep an eye out for that.
> 
> And as always I appreciate any comments you leave thank you so much for the kudos it keeps me going!!

Larry and Sal texted back and forth that weekend almost every waking moment. It was mostly random thoughts that popped into their heads, but Larry still felt a wave of excitement every time his phone chimed.

**_Sal: why is captain crunch the best cereal ever?_ **

_Larry: It's not. Fruity Pebbles is the best. And it doesn't cut your mouth up._

**_Sal: lies and slander just sounds to me like you got a weak ass mouth_ **

\-----

_Larry: The streamers from Saturday are still up. I think it's because you complimented them. Neil is so excited someone appreciated his idea that they'll be up until next month._

_**Sal: as they should because they're fucking cool as hell** _

_Larry: It looks like we're throwing an emo prom._

**_Sal: you don't even know what emo is shut up_ **

_Larry: I know it's easy to make fun of._

\-----

**_Sal: hole or the cranberries?_ **

_Larry: In what context? Like who's got the better sound or better looking lead singer or…?_

**_Sal: i'm trying to figure out what song i should use next friday and I cant choose between them_ **

_Larry: Oh, then Hole. Courtney Love definitely seems more your style._

**_Sal: you think so?_ **

_Larry: Totally._

_**Sal: awesome ill keep that in mind ;)**_

Larry grinned at that, a slight blush coming to his cheeks as he saw the winky face. God he hoped he could at least manage to keep his cool on their date. He didn't want to be bright red through the whole thing. Speaking of which…

_Larry: So did you still wanna go on a date sometime soon?_

As he hit send, Larry felt like he had a shit ton of butterflies in his stomach. Except every single butterfly was also nervous as hell and also had butterflies in their stomachs. What if Sal didn't actually want to go out with him? What if he had been just high enough at the party to agree but changed his mind once he was sober? What if he had just said yes because he was too nice to reject Larry to his face? Larry's mind was screaming all these doubtful questions at him when his phone chimed with a new message.

_**Sal: absolutely!!! would wednesday be okay for you? its the only day i don't have work or class** _

Larry looked at the calendar he had hung up in his room. It was Monday, meaning he would only have two days to mentally prepare. He felt his anxiety spike again.

_Larry: Wednesday will be great. How does a movie and dinner sound?_

Larry wanted to kick himself as soon as he hit send. Sal's last bad date was a movie date. What if Sal was on edge the whole movie thinking Larry was gonna be a sleaze ball just like Travis and try to get in his pants? Larry groaned and rubbed a hand over his face. "I'm such a fucking idiot." He said out loud to himself. His phone chimed again.

_**Sal: sound awesome! ill be free all day so give me a time and ill be ready!** _

\------------

Sal had insisted his dad could drop him off, no matter how much Larry tried to convince him that he didn't really live out of the way and he seriously didn't mind picking him up. In the end they agreed to meet up outside of the movie theater. Larry had checked the newspaper for the times, wanting to see something at a reasonable time but also wanting enough time to grab something to eat after the movie was finished. They settled on something around 4pm, which when Larry checked the local newspaper for showtimes, meant they had to choose between the new Halloween movie and some shitty looking 3D space movie.

Larry wasn't sure what to wear. He had considered asking Todd, but decided not to in the end, mostly because Todd liked to wear cargo shorts and he wasn't going to take fashion advice from someone who thought those were a good idea. His next choice was Ashley, but he was afraid she would just tease him for being so nervous and not actually offer any real help. In the end he had pulled on his nicest, least ripped jeans, a plain tshirt and thrown on a dark blue flannel just to make it it slightly more presentable. He was so nervous, he ended up showing up a solid thirty minutes early. He pulled out his cell and shot Sal a quick text.

_Larry: So it's between a slasher movie and a movie about a space station. Which did you want to see?_

Sal's response was almost instant.

**_Sal: whichever im not picky surprise me :p_ **

Larry looked at the text and sighed. It only spiked his anxiety. What if he picked the space movie and it was really boring and Sal was super unimpressed? What if he picked the slasher and it's so dumb? Not even in an entertaining sorta way. Just dumb. Larry let out a frustrated groan.

"Just pick a movie, it's not that hard!" He scolded himself quietly under his breath. His phone pinged in his hand.

_**Sal: leaving now be there in fifteen** _

"Fuck." Larry swore quietly. He took a deep breath and turn towards the ticket booth, looking at the teen girl sitting behind the glass.

_Larry: Cool, I'm buying the tickets right now._

Larry stepped up to the booth, tucking his phone into his front pocket and pulling his wallet from his back one. "Hi."

"Good Afternoon! Welcome to Starlight Cinema!" The teen behind the glass chirped excitedly, catching Larry slightly off guard. "How can I help you?"

"Uhhhh yeah, can I get two for the 4:05 showing of the Halloween movie?" He asked, pulling out a twenty from his wallet.

"Of course! That will be $11.97, please!" Larry handed the twenty through the little slot at the bottom of the glass. The teen quickly gave him his change before printing out his tickets. "Here you go. Have a wonderful day and enjoy your movie!"

"Uh you too." He said as he shoved his wallet back into his back pocket. He winced as he realized what he had said. "I mean the wonderful day part… not. The movie. You're not seeing… a movie." Larry trailed off, embarrassed as he put the tickets in the pocket on his plain black tee. The teen simply smiled back, unfazed by his stupidity. Larry quickly turned back around and walked back to the edge of the sidewalk, pulling out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He lit one, doing his best not to look back at the poor teenager he had embarrassed himself in front of.

Larry was almost finished his cigarette when a station wagon pulled up a few feet away from where he was standing. He flicked the still burning butt out into the street as the passenger door swung open, a familiar head of blue hair popping up from out of the car. "Thanks dad, I'll call you if I need a ride home." He heard Sal say to the man in the driver's side. Through the windshield he could see an older balding man with the same blue hue of hair and big but well kept beard. Larry gave a small wave and awkward smile as Sal's father looked over at him. The man returned the wave and warm smile before turning back to face his son.

"Okay buddy. Just text me later when you can, okay?" Sal nodded and closed the door as he stepped back onto the sidewalk. With another wave to them both, Sal's father pulled away from the curb. Sal turned to look over at Larry. Larry took in his outfit, a distressed Metallica shirt layered over a stripey black and white turtleneck paired a red plaid skirt over a pair of ripped black skinny jeans. His hair was pulled into two low buns and he had a few stray pieces framing his prosthetic. Sal looked hot and it made Larry feel completely underdressed.

"Hey." Sal took a few steps closer, shortening the gap between them just a little more. Larry smiled and wiped his slightly sweaty hands on his jeans. He suddenly felt a whole lot more nervous. "You look nice." There was a smile to his voice, even if Larry couldn't see it. Larry shook his head and chuckled.

"Next to you I look like a hobo. You look. Really good." Larry blushed lightly and Sal fidgeted with the ends of his sleeves.

"Thank you." Sal rubbed at the back of his neck before clearing his throat. "So what did you end up picking?"

"Oh! Um, Halloween. It was either that or that 3D space movie. I don't know, it looked kind of boring and I figured at least even if the Halloween movie was bad, it would still be entertaining." Larry pulled the tickets from his front pocket and handed one over. Sal took his ticket and glanced at it before nodding.

"Awesome. I love horror movies. Especially shitty slashers." Sal tucked his ticket into the pocket of his skirt.

"I'm more fond of classic monster movies myself, but I'm always down for some gratuitous fake blood." Larry returned his ticket back into the front of his shirt before stuffing his hands into his pockets. He always did that when he felt nervous and didn't know what to do with his hands.

"Well it's a good thing you didn't pick the 3D movie. They don't work on me." Sal waved a hand in front of his face in a motion Larry didn't understand. Larry's eyebrows drew together as he gave Sal a confused look. "Oh. Sorry. I guess I never told you. I'm missing an eye. The same accident that did this," Sal tapped a finger against the plastic of his prosthetic. "Took my right eye. I wear a glass one." Sal pointed to the right hole of his mask. Larry glanced at the fake eye for a second, noticing only now that it was a bit different from Sal's left but didn't stay on it too long. Part of him wanted to comment that it looked so real and that he didn't have a clue. But he was sure that people always say that and it meant nothing to Sal these days.

"Hmmm well then I guess I'm glad that 3D movie looks so dumb or I would have looked like a total asshole picking a movie you can't even watch." Larry said with a smile and Sal let out a quiet laugh, looking clearly relieved by Larry's reaction. They fell into a beat of silence before a thought popped into Larry's head. "Is that what you meant when you said Ashley ran into you when you first met? When you said she was in your blind spot?" Larry blurted before he could stop himself. Sal stared at him for a second before starting to laugh. "I'm sorry! I just. I finally got your joke." Larry held up his hands in defense as he also began to laugh. Sal shook his head as his laughing slowed down to quiet giggles.

"I just can't believe the first thing you think of is some dumb joke I made like a month ago. You're really something else, Larry Johnson." There was a fondness to Sal's voice as he looked up at him, a smile crinkling the corner of his eyes behind the prosthetic. It made Larry's face grow pink as his heart thumped a little faster. "Come on, the movie starts in ten minutes and I wanna get some popcorn." Sal reached out and grabbed the sleeve of Larry's flannel, pulling the taller man gently towards the doors of the cinema.

\----------

"That movie was horrible." Sal declared with a laugh as they walked out of the cinema doors into the surprisingly cool summer night air. Larry chuckled and nodded, pausing to throw their half eaten popcorn and Sal's almost empty soda in the trash by the door. The movie had been terrible. An insult to Halloween movies at best. An insult to cinema as a whole at worse. But it had still been fun to watch. Especially the few times the jumpscares had actually managed to get them and Sal had grabbed onto the sleeve of Larry's shirt. That had been Larry's favorite part.

"I just don't understand the whole trend of having random ass musicians in movies just for the sake of having them." Larry pulled the pack of Marlboros from his pocket and pulled one free. He lit it, shielding the flame with his hand and taking a drag before offering the pack to Sal. Sal shook his head.

"I'm good, thanks." Larry nodded and returned the pack back to his pocket before finishing his thought.

"Like if your main reason for having Busta Rhymes in your movie is literally just to have a random rapper there in the hopes of selling tickets, that's a bad fucking movie." Sal let out a laugh.

"And they killed off Jamie Lee Curtis! Like that's such bullshit. She's the OG. You can't just kill her like that! And that ending was so predictable. Like I get it, Michael never dies. But the build up wasn't even fun. The second the house caught on fire, I knew he was gonna magically pop up in the end." Larry hummed in agreement and they slipped into a moment of comfortable silence as Larry finished his cigarette. "So where did you want to eat? Because I distinctly remember being promised a movie _and_ dinner. And while movie popcorn is good, I wouldn't really count that as dinner." Larry took the last drag of his cigarette and chuckled, dropping it to the ground and crushing it with his boot.

"Don't worry, I wasn't gonna let you starve. There's this burger place up the road. I figured we could walk up there, grab a bite to eat and then I could drive you back home."

"Are you sure? My dad can pick me up, that way you don't have to drive to the other side of town and drive all the way back to your house. I'd feel bad." Sal started to pick at the hem of his sleeves nervously.

"Why would you feel bad? It's really not that far out of the way. I mean, this is a date and it would be the gentlemanly thing to do." Sal fidgeted a bit more in his spot, looking unsure what to say. In a surge of boldness, Larry reached out and took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as he spoke. "It's seriously not a problem Sal." They locked eyes for a moment and Sal gave Larry a squeeze back.

"Okay. Thank you." Larry smiled and began to lead him down the sidewalk, keeping their hands clasped together as they made their way to the burger joint a few blocks away. It wasn't anything super nice, just a little hometown burger place that you could get good food for a decent price.

"Sorry it's not a fancy restaurant. I feel like I am kinda cheaping out on our first date." Larry said with an apologetic smile as he held the door open for Sal. Sal shook his head and waved him off as he made his way inside. Larry closed the door behind them and they made their way over to where they could order.

"Its fine. I actually really like lowkey dates like this. Fancy restaurants and expensive dates are overrated and it doesn't really take much to impress me." He said, nudging Larry with his shoulder as they waited in line in front of the counter. Larry couldn't help the grin that spread across his face. Once it was their turn, they ordered their food and were given a number to put at their table. The took a seat a booth in the corner away from the handful of people already seated in the restaurant. After a few minutes a waitress brought out their drinks and food, telling them to enjoy their meal before heading back behind the counter.

"So what brought you to Nockfell?" Larry asked before taking a bite of his burger. Sal popped open the bottom straps of his prosthetic and slipped a fry under.

"If you ask my dad, he'll say he was transferred here from his job and he had no choice but I think he pushed to get transferred here because he wanted to get away from Jersey." Sal answered before breaking off a bit of his chicken tender and popping it into his mouth. Larry swallowed his mouthful and tilted his head.

"What's wrong with New Jersey? I mean we've all heard the joke about it being trash but I mean it can't be that bad." He said with a laugh and grabbed a few fries. Sal shook his head and took a sip of his soda.

"It just has a lot of bad memories for him. Granted, it didn't have a ton of great ones for me either but it was especially hard on my dad living there. He was just constantly reminded of my mom."

"Did they split up or something?" Larry asked, taking a sip of his own drink. Sal visibly tensed.

"No. She… died." Sal said with a struggle, clearly uncomfortable saying it outloud. Larry winched, wanting to kick himself in the ass for even bringing it up.

"Shit I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. I'm a dumbass." Larry apologized quickly, his face burning in regret.

"No, it's okay. It's just been so long since I've even talked about it I wasn't expecting it." Sal said with a sigh as he shook his head.

"You don't have to talk about it. We can change the subject. Just ignore me."

"It's fine. I don't mind talking about. Besides you told me about your dad, if I tell you about my mom then we'll be even on tragic backstories." Sal chuckled at his own joke. Larry opened his mouth to tell him that he really didn't have to but Sal held up his hand and continued. "If I'm being honest, I don't even really remember her. I was 3 when she died and around that time I was already dealing with the trauma of… this." Sal pointed prosthetic over his face and everything seemed to click in Larry's head. That what had taken Sal's face and eye had also taken his mother's life. Larry nervously chewed at his bottom lip as he listened to Sal's story. "I'm pretty sure all memories of her got buried as my brain tried to block it out. So I don't remember her, like at all, but I remember watching my dad deal with it. With everything. And it was hard." Sal's voice cracked for a second. Larry wanted to tell him to stop, that he didn't have to keep going but Sal cleared his throat and shook his head.

"But when we moved out here, my dad got better. A lot better. Better than he has been in years. He has been smiling more and talking more and actually going on dates and he has started talking about my mom for the first time in a very, very long time. So while I miss Jersey and the few friends I had there, honestly, I'm really glad to be here. Plus I have Ash and Todd and Neil, all the people at the bar… and you of course." Sal finished, looking up at him, his eyes crinkled in a smile. Larry grinned back.

"Well I'm glad you're here too."

They finished eating their food as the conversation shifted to a much lighter mood. They talked about what Sal was studying in school ( _"Right now I'm honestly just taking my general classes, you know math, English, all those core classes as I try to figure out what I'm gonna major in."_ ) before Sal asked Larry about his mom which dissolved into Larry practically gushing about how great his mom is. ( _"Seriously my mom is just a badass. She can fix pretty much anything, she is an amazing cook, and once at a family reunion, I watched her out drink three of my older cousins, even though she still refuses to admit that happened."_ ) It wasn't until they noticed the staff was starting to sweep up and giving them subtle death glares did they think to look at the time. Larry pulled out his phone.

"Holy shit we've been talking for almost 2 hours. No wonder they want to kill us, it almost closing time. We should get going." He said as he shoved his phone back into his pocket and stood up from the booth. Sal stood up as well, collecting his trash. They threw out their trash and put their trays in the designated bin before quickly heading out, giving the waitstaff an apologetic wave as they rushed out the door. Once outside, Sal pulled out his phone from his pocket.

"Fuck, I forgot to text my dad, he is probably super worried." Sal flipped open his phone and quickly typed out a message to his dad before hitting send. He slipped the phone back into his pocket and looked up at Larry. "Ready to head back?"

"Ready when you are." Larry said with a smile. Sal nodded and took hold of Larry's wrist, pulling him along as they headed back towards the cinema, where Larry's truck was parked.

Larry unlocked the door and climbed in before leaning over to unlock the passenger side. Sal opened the door and climbed in as Larry started the truck. The sound of low metal music filled the cab of the truck as they both buckled their seatbelts. Sal gave Larry directions to his apartment and they both sat in silence as Larry began to drive. Larry turned the music up just a bit before letting his hand rest on the seat between them. After a few moments, Larry felt as Sal's hand brush against his, hesitantly asking permission in the dark. Larry flipped his hand, silently offering his hand, thankful for the darkness of the truck as his face slowly began to flush red. Not saying a word, Sal laced their fingers together as he silently bobbed along to the song on the radio.

When they pulled up to Sal's apartment building, Sal turned towards Larry, hand still holding on to his. "I had a really good time." He said, a grin in his voice.

"Yeah me too." Larry agreed, glancing down at their intertwined hands. He knew he had to let go, so Sal could get out. But part of him really didn't want to. Not yet. "We should do this again. Well I mean not exactly this. But like. Another date. If you want to." He stammered through his words, causing Sal to chuckle.

"I'd really like that." He said gently, a fondness in his voice. He sat for a second more, making no moves to leave before hesitantly pulling his hand from Larry's. Larry almost wanted to frown at the sudden loss of warmth. "Hey. Do something real quick." Sal said quietly, almost too quiet to be heard over the music playing.

"What?" Larry asked, just as quiet, as if any sudden noise would ruin the moment.

"Close your eyes."

"Okay." Larry nodded and let his eyes close. He listened to the familiar sound of clasps being unbuckled followed by soft shuffling. Before he could react, Sal's hands were cupping his face and a set of lips pressed to his, though only for a second, barely enough time for him to process what was happening and kiss back. Sal pulled back, chuckling as Larry leaned forward, trying to continue the kiss. He pulled back completely, letting go of Larry's face as he readjusted his prosthetic back over his face and buckled the straps back into place.

"Thanks. I'll text you later, okay." He reached over and gave Larry's hand another squeeze before opening the door. Larry finally opened his eyes, still a little dazed by how quickly everything happened.

"Uhh yeah okay. See ya." Sal chuckled again and climbed out from Larry's truck. He gave a quick wave before closing the door and heading toward the door of the building

**Author's Note:**

> Tags and relaships will be updated as the story goes on because I don't want to spoil certain things. Also as always I appreciate feedback! Tell me if you liked it, if you didn't, tell me anything!


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